


Gone Fishing

by pintyp



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: (though i'm sure everyone knows at this point), Anxiety, Family Dynamics, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fishing, Gen, Happy, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Recovery, Self Confidence, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 05:00:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15259956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pintyp/pseuds/pintyp
Summary: Lillie and Kukui go on the father-daughter fishing trip she never got to have.





	Gone Fishing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ashten](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashten/gifts).



> The summary I gave for this is bad sorry I haven't written anything other than op-ed pieces in like a year. This is a somewhat belated birthday gift for my friend Ashten! I hope it reads well...

The afternoon sun glowed on the large pink flower barrette Lillie held in her hands. Professor Kukui had bought it for her earlier that day during their outing in Konikoni City. They enjoyed a vegetable Z-Set in the restaurant together and had a few cups of Tapu Cocoa in the Pokémon Center before going to Olivia’s jewelry store. There, Lillie couldn’t take her eyes off of a beautiful hair clip. She tried protesting when Kukui offered to buy it for her, since she knew she’d never have enough confidence to wear it, but this was not a battle Lillie could win.

Now, the barrette was cradled in her palms as Lillie dangled her legs in the water on Route 9. She looked down into the sea that enveloped her feet, lapping rhythmically at her soft skin, and she wondered, if she listened closely enough, whether or not she could hear the cries of Wailord off in the distance.

“Man,” Kukui sighed, reeling in his fishing line. “There really _is_  nothing biting today, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Lillie said in a near-whisper. The original purpose of their visit to Akala was to catch some Luvdisc for Kukui’s studies, but so far they were having no luck.

“Well, it’s still worth another try.” Kukui cast his line again and sat with his legs crossed. Lillie watched in silence as the lure bobbed with the gentle current, up and down, up and down. Sunlight glittered on the small waves, making the sea look more like a scattering of stars in the night sky than the ocean.

Suddenly remembering the small guest she had brought along with her, Lillie yanked her bag onto her lap and furiously tore open the zipper. Luckily, Nebby was sleeping for one of the few times in its life, so Lillie could close the bag again with no qualms. Still, she couldn’t help but feel anxious about other things, like what would happen if someone found out about Nebby, or worse, if it got stolen and landed in the hands of someone worse than the Aether Foundation.

“Hey, you alright?” Kukui asked. “You seem distant today.”

“I’m… I’m fine, Professor,” Lillie replied. She paused. “Well, I mean, when you mention it, I am a bit worried right now.”

She sighed. “It’s just… I guess it’s a little scary. It’s hard keeping Nebby a secret, especially when it’s so eager to run away all the time. And it wouldn’t be such a big deal if the circumstances were different. I mean, if I were, say, a Team Plasma member who was just trying to liberate pokémon, and not, well, _me_ …”

Lillie fiddled with the barrette again. “It just becomes that much more difficult. Because now, if Nebby gets taken back, then I get taken back too, and—”

Her hands were clenched so tightly around the barrette, the metal left indentations in her skin.

“That must be a lot on your plate. I’m sorry you’re dealing with that.” Kukui put his arm around Lillie’s shoulders. “But, at least for now, you’re still here and not there, right?”

“...That’s the other thing.”

“Oh?”

“I’m just… everything here feels so _weird_. I’m not used to it. It’s all so different, and I know that none of it is a bad thing, but when I don’t have that constant pressure to be perfect, to be meek, to overachieve… It’s almost… alien, and then, I put that pressure on myself, and, somehow, that’s even worse... I just don’t know what to do.”

The professor pulled Lillie in for a hug, remembering someone he used to know. “It’s okay, Lillie. I know it’s hard right now, but you’re going to be okay.”

“Thank you.”

They sat there for a few minutes before Kukui remembered his fishing rod. There were still no bites.

“Jeez, I’m having no luck with this.” Kukui reeled his line back in and held the pole out to Lillie. “You wanna try?”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Lillie said. “I don’t know how, anyway.”

“Not a problem. I’ll show you.”

Kukui got up and gave Lillie the fishing rod to hold. Wrapping his hands around hers, he helped her cast the line.

“So, you take it back like this, and then you swing it forward.”

“Okay. Now what?”

“Now we wait.” Kukui sat back down.

“How will I know if I’ve caught something?” Lillie asked.

“You’ll feel a sort of tugging feeling.” Kukui made a gesture of pulling on a string as he spoke. “Don’t worry, you’ll just know.”

They sat waiting for a few moments before finally, with a subtle “plop” sound, the lure disappeared underwater.

“I think I’ve got one!”

“Alright!” Kukui got up again and ran over to Lillie’s side. “Now grab that part and keep rotating it to reel it in.”

“I’m… trying… it’s heavy…” Lillie groaned.

Lillie tried to reel her catch in as hard as she could, but it was a stubborn type and wanted to fight. Nonetheless, she kept going. She had gotten this far. Professor Kukui knew she could do it. And deep down, Lillie knew she could do it, too.

With one final grunt, a plump, pink Luvdisc rose out of the water.

“Professor! Professor, look! I did it!” Lillie shouted, even though she was right next to the professor’s ear. She couldn’t contain herself.

“Great job, kiddo!” Kukui put the Luvdisc in a pokéball before it could escape and pulled Lillie in close. “I’m proud of you.”

Lillie couldn’t help but smile.

They packed up and decided to head back to the Akala Ferry Terminal. It was a long walk, but the two were the whole time, both overjoyed with Lillie’s accomplishment.

And as they walked back, the golden sun shone brightly on Lillie’s new barrette, placed in her long, blonde hair, right above her ear.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for putting up with this. This is a lot shorter than my other fic because I'm not used to writing happy stuff, so let me know what you think lmao... Also, the "person Kukui used to know" is, in fact, Guzma, because It's Not A Pokémon Fic By Emil If It Doesn't Mention Guzma!


End file.
